Yesteryear Chapter 38: A Seeming Peace and a Sinister Omen

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The ranch enjoys several quiet, peaceful days. Mary’s mood lifts, and Abel makes repeated trips with Old Caleb, returning each time with a secretive grin that leaves Noah in a dazed state. The narrator, Natalie, feels a profound resurgence of the Lord’s presence—a physical, ecstatic communion she had only experienced as a girl, which vanished after her marriage but now returns. She interprets this as being chosen, and she now feels properly satisfied by Old Caleb. One evening, Mary makes a third pair of sock puppets for Maeve, creating a moment of pure joy that briefly makes the narrator believe she can bear this life. But the thought of her other children, lost “out there”, shatters the mood. Later, Natalie wakes to two realizations: nearly two months have passed since Old Caleb slapped her, and she has not gotten her period.

Key Events

Abel continues traveling with Old Caleb, and Noah is left brooding, unable to learn the secret.
Natalie experiences a powerful resurgence of religious ecstasy, similar to her childhood “visitations” from the Lord.
She acknowledges that Old Caleb satisfies her in a way her husband never did.
Mary completes a third pair of sock puppets for Maeve; Maeve cries with joy.
Natalie’s happiness curdles when she thinks of her other children, and the mood in the room turns cold.
She realizes it has been almost two months since Old Caleb struck her, and she has missed her period.

Character Development

Natalie (the protagonist): Her spiritual delusion deepens. She reframes her captivity as divine favor and her relationship with Old Caleb as proper satisfaction. Yet the sudden turn from joy to despair shows she is still haunted by the children she lost. The missed period signals a new, involuntary tie to this life.
Old Caleb: Remains a background force of control—his slap is still a recent memory, and his physical intimacy with Natalie is now framed as “proper” from her perspective, though the reader recognizes it as coercion.
Mary: Displays kindness and patience, making puppets for Maeve. This domestic scene contrasts with Natalie’s inner turmoil and suggests Mary is a stabilizing presence.
Noah and Abel: Abel’s secret outings create jealousy and mystery; Noah’s dazed look hints at an uneasy knowledge.
Maeve: Her innocent joy at the puppets is a brief light in the chapter, but it also triggers Natalie’s guilt about her other children.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Religious delusion as coping mechanism: Natalie’s childhood ecstatic experiences reappear, but they now serve to justify her submission to Old Caleb and her imprisonment. Her belief that she is “a chosen one” in a custom-made parable illustrates her psychological adaptation.
The missed period: A clear symbol of inescapable consequence. It foreshadows a pregnancy that will bind Natalie even more tightly to the ranch, undermining her fantasy of freedom.
Domesticity vs. loss: The sock puppet scene—a rare moment of wholesome family life—initially comforts Natalie, but the thought of her absent children instantly destroys the peace. Domestic acts cannot erase the violence (the slap) or the absence.
Control and satisfaction: Natalie’s claim that she is “being properly satisfied by a man” for the first time masks the power imbalance. Old Caleb’s slap is recalled as a landmark, not an anomaly.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 38 marks a critical turning point in Natalie’s arc. Her ecstatic religious experience is not a genuine spiritual awakening but a psychological surrender that allows her to endure captivity. The missed period introduces a concrete, biological consequence that will force her to confront reality. The contrast between the peaceful domestic surface and the narrator’s internal fracture prepares the reader for future tension. The chapter also deepens the mystery of Abel’s trips with Old Caleb, setting up future revelations.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Natalie compare her childhood religious experiences to a crush, and what does that comparison reveal about her state of mind? Natalie says she thought of the Lord the way other girls thought of crushes, even doodling his name. This comparison reveals that her faith has always been intertwined with romantic and physical longing. As an adult, she transfers that same intense, embodied devotion to her relationship with Old Caleb, using theology to justify her submission. It shows she conflates spiritual union with sexual satisfaction and control.

2. How does the sock puppet scene function in the chapter? The sock puppet scene provides a brief interruption of domestic joy. When Maeve cries happy tears, Natalie feels she can “bear this life.” However, the joy is immediately undercut by the memory of her other children. The scene demonstrates that even in relatively peaceful moments, the narrator cannot escape her grief. The puppets, handmade from worn socks, also symbolize the way Mary tries to create comfort from scarce resources—a contrast to Natalie’s emotional poverty.

3. What does the chapter’s final revelation (the missed period) imply about Natalie’s future? The missed period, paired with the time since Old Caleb’s slap, strongly implies Natalie is pregnant. This development will strip away her illusion of being a “chosen one” freely participating; pregnancy is a biological trap that will anchor her to the ranch. It also echoes her earlier loss of other children, suggesting a repetition of trauma. The pregnancy may force her to choose between her fantasy and reality.